Deterioration
by NaiveWriter
Summary: Dr. Curien always come and talk to his son in the evening. However, as time goes by, their conversation takes an agonizing turn...
1. Strain

**Disclaimer:** ... _as you all know, this is a fanfic. So I don't own the...well, Andrew and Curien's wife are the FCs._

* * *

 ** _[Several years before the incident...]_**

He _hates_ it here.

Even though his bed is cozy, Daniel only wishes to be outside than to spend the rest of the day in his room. For hours, he gazes at the window with longing in his eyes. He tries to imagine the feeling of the wind on his skin, the sounds of birds chirping and the small garden where his mother usually sits down...

 _...where is she anyway?_

Stupid sickness. It is because of this sickness that Daniel can't go out of the room. His father insists that he should remain in his room until he gets better. It has been two months and Daniel doesn't feel any better. His sickness even becomes worse with each passing week. He finds it hard to breathe and even harder to move around.

The sun is going down and soon, Andrew will come in with that awful onion soup... The routine has become painfully predictable.

"Good bye, Tuesday." Daniel mutters to himself. "See you next week."

 _Great_. He has become so bored that he starts talking to himself. He can't help it anyway. Even with Andrew comes in to check on him every two hours, the conversations are always brief. If this keeps going on for a few more weeks, Daniel figures that he'll go crazy. He lets out a sigh and closes his eyes.

"...just another day in the square room with nothing but a side table, a chair and the window."

 _Ugh, I really want to go outside._

"...mom, how are your tulips doing?..."

The usual silence is all he hears.

"...I prefer the white ones than the pink..."

"Daniel?"

...that isn't Andrew's voice.

It's his _father's_.

There he is, standing by the door, staring at him with worries in his eyes. They look at each other in a long silence, waiting for the other to act first. ...Daniel then tries his best to give his father a smile.

"...hi, dad..."

It is quite remarkable what those two words can do...or it's just hearing his son's voice that makes Dr. Curien smiles back. He comes in and sits on the side of the bed. A once proud figure, renowned scientist and a father...is now a pale, weary person with gloomy vibrations. It always makes Daniel feels guilty what his father has become... _dang this sickness.  
_ His father hasn't say a word as if he is thinking of how to start a conversation differently. Still, Daniel knows. The conversation never change. It's always the same thing no matter who starts talking first. And it always goes...

"How's...how's your day at work?" he squeezes his father's hand weakly.

It's no secret that Dr. Curien is trying his best to hide his depression from his son. After all, it's a bad bedside manner to make the patient... _his son_ feels worse than the current state that he's in. So he does the same thing he does every time his son asks him: only tell him what he needs to hear and keep the bad news out.

"It was...fine. Things went...smoothly for once..." his voice wavers in between his breath. There are a few things he can't hide from his son though. How tired he really is...and his eye contact never meets directly with Daniel's. The doctor looks as if he's about to faint...for a moment...then he shrugs it off like it is nothing.

"How are you feeling?"

...the same old question. Daniel frowns in annoyance. He knows. Despite the fact that his father knows what Daniel will tell him, he is still asking about it like he's fixated on keeping track of his condition...or he has nothing else to say. He answers his father with silence.

"...Daniel?"

 _Of course, he'll wait. He always waits until I say something..._

"I want to go out." he finally replies.  
"Please. Even just for an hour...or ten minutes. I miss going outside...with you...and mom..."

The doctor's eyes twitches at the last word.

"Please, dad..." his son begs.  
"...at least tell me...where mom is. I haven't see her...for a month."

Without even answering his son, Dr. Curien stands up and slowly walks toward the door.

This isn't the first time it happened but Daniel can't understand why.

"Dad...?"

"She's...not here...right now, Daniel."

And he leaves the room without looking back.

 _...Why?_

The door swings open again and Andrew enters the room with supper.

"Hey, buddy. How are y..." he stops mid-sentence when he sees the boy glowers at him.  
"...oh. Right. Sorry, that's a stupid question..."

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_... _right. I'm back! Angst is still new for me to write anyway...so, as a huge jerk, I'll see if I can (at least) drop a few drops of water in your eyes. ...eh, with my current writing skills, I'm pretty sure I'll fail. LOL.  
_ _How long will this story be? I'm not so sure myself. Alright, see ya in the next chapter. Have a nice day/night!_


	2. Tremble

**Disclaimer:** ... _as you all know, this is a fanfic._

* * *

Andrew is a good actor, Daniel will give him that.

Still, his friendly facade is just another poor attempt to distract Daniel from his worries. He has to give Andrew credit for trying. At least...he has someone to talk with aside from his father.

"Hey, buddy. Let's play a game." Andrew sits at the chair beside the bed with his hand covering the soup bowl.  
"Try to guess what kind of sou-"

"Andrew." Daniel cuts him off in a tired manner.  
"It's...onion soup every Tuesday. Come on, I don't forget...that easily."

"Hehe...well, it's different this time."

"What. You put a frog in there?"

"...very funny."

At least when Andrew is around, the gloomy vibe seems to disappear. For a moment.  
The butler hands the bowl to the boy with a smile. The same smile he thinks will not raise any suspicion from Daniel. "You know...the frog isn't such a bad idea. I heard that frogs are considered as special delicacy in some countries."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. Can you believe that?"

"...well, I'm not going there."

Andrew laughs. He stops when he realizes that the boy isn't laughing. _Great, he's being insensitive. Of course, he's not going there. ...he's not going anywhere._ "Sorry." he murmurs "That's not funny."  
Daniel sips his supper in silence. His eyes trails back to the window, watching the night approaching from the distance. In a few minutes, Andrew would leave the him in this room and he'll be alone in this room again. Loneliness, he never expect to have that before, now becomes his new friend. An unwanted friend.

A brief silence and Andrew decides to speak again.  
"Ah, by the way...remember the doctor that came here last week to check on you?"

"Yes."

"I heard that he is coming here tomorrow morning to talk to your father."

... _strange_. Daniel stares back in mild confusion. Coming here just for a talk? Something doesn't feel right about this. Especially...

"Why can't he talk to my dad...over the phone?"

"I'm not so sure myself." Andrew shrugs. "I'm also surprised like you that he's coming back here so soon."

"It's probably something horrible." the boy sighs in resignation. "...maybe it's bad news..."

" _No!_ " Andrew blurts out...and recomposes himself when he realizes that startles Daniel.  
"No. Daniel...please, don't think like that."

"Why else would he...come here?" Daniel rasps. "Don't you find this strange, Andrew?"

He does. He also tries to keep a calm facade while trying to convince the boy that...

"Everything will be alright. Sure, it's an unexpected visit but...we won't know what it is about until he arrives. For now...just don't worry about it. Alright, buddy?"

No reply.

Andrew sighs quietly. This is getting nowhere...he ends up being the one who worries about this situation. Dr. Curien is an emotional wreck, Daniel's health is spiraling down and here he is, a family's butler...and probably a close friend of the two...trying to help and keep everyone from falling apart. ... _well_ , _not everyone_.

"Andrew?"

That snaps Andrew out from his thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"...thanks for the soup." Daniel hands him the bowl.

"Oh. My pleasure." He gets the bowl and stands up from the chair, preparing to leave the room.  
He really doesn't want to leave but he has other tasks to attend to. Daniel rarely has anyone to talk with during the day and Andrew knows that well. What a cruel fate.

"...Andrew, wait." Daniel calls out.

He stops by the door, turning to the boy.

"...can you...ask mom to pass by...my room...whenever she has time?"

A cold chill runs down Andrew's spine. His calm facade threatens to break when he hears the request. Still, with a nod, he answers. "Sure. I'll...let her know."

Slowly and quietly, Andrew leaves the room, ignoring the suspicious glare from Daniel.

* * *

The very next day, Daniel wakes up to the muffled sound of someone yelling from the living room downstairs. It takes him a while to recall that today is the day when the doctor comes to talk to his father ** _-_ _-_ _-_**

... _his father_.

Then he realizes that it is his father who is yelling.

Slowly, with his remaining strength, he leaves the bed and walks to the door. Carefully, he opens it ** _-_ _-_ _-_** and hears his father in the middle of his fuming tirade. The other doctor...is obviously shaken and probably scared to death, judging from the whimpers.

"I-I'm so sorry...truly sorry, Dr. Curien...but..."

"...came here **_JUST_ _TO_ _TELL_ _ME_ _THAT_ _!_ _?_ **... ** _HOW_ _DARE_ _YOU_ _-_ _-_ _-_** "

"...w-we did our best, doctor...but the results...he...it's..."

...then Andrew's nervous voice cuts in.

"...doctor...please calm down ** _-_ _-_ _-_** "

"...my sincere apologizes, d-doctor...he's not going to ** _-_ _-_ _-_** "

"... _get out_."

"...d-doctor ** _-_ _-_**?"

 ** _"_ _GET_ _OUT_ _!_ _!_ _"_**

...his father screams...follows by a noise of shattered glass...and rushed footsteps head towards the door. Andrew's frightened gasp pretty much tells Daniel how bad the situation is...and quietly, Daniel closes the door...and sinks to the floor, shaking.

"...hands off me! That sonova...and he calls himself a certified doctor! I'm going to ** _-_ _-_ _-_** "

"...please calm down...Roy...please...your son...he might hear you..."

"... _hh_... _I_.. _I_... _oh God_..."

...the last one is filled with anguish that Daniel can relate. He sniffles and curls up against the door. It is his first time...ever...to hear his father screams out like that and it is downright frightening. One thing is certain now and Daniel has to accept it whether he likes it or not...

... _Andrew_ wa _s_ _wrong_.

Everything isn't alright...

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_... _I'll admit, this is getting harder to write than I thought. XP  
EH! That ain't gonna stop me._


End file.
